- Nick's Point Of View -
I woke up around 7:00, for no general reason. My eyes just sort of opened, and I sensed that I had to get up and get ready. There was a lot to do today.
I got in the shower, and thought about one thing…Sara. I know she needs me, but she just won't tell me why. There are so many questions I have that I know I can't push her about, but they bug me. I want to know more about her…I need to.
Why did she zone out at the airport?
Why was she crying in the car?
Why did she get so worked up and scared last night?
What is it that she can't tell me?
But mostly…how did she know I was going to need her here, with my sister?
A smile comes to my face as I remember something else though. How she came to me for help, how I held her and how her body felt pressed against mine. How she let me help her, how she accepted it.
How she let me kiss her.
As I recall these things, I decide I need to turn the shower dial a little colder.
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Fifteen minutes later, I'm out of the shower, dressed, and ready to find Sara.
I knock on her door. No answer.
I knock again. Still no answer.
Figuring that if she was getting dressed or something she'd speak up, I crack open her door. The light is off, and I can see her bed; it is neatly made. I open the door a little more, and find the room empty. I walk over to the bed, and from there, I can hear the shower running. As I look to the bed, I smile.
My jersey is folded neatly on top of it.
I lift the shirt off the bed, and a piece of paper falls to the ground. I bend over and pick it up.
It reads:
Thanks Nick.
Love – Sara
I smile.
Love.
I take the pen that was lying next to the shirt, and write a message on the back of her note.
Morning! Get dressed; I'll meet you in the kitchen for breakfast and a trip to the barn.
Love - Nick
I left Sara's room, closing the door behind me. Then I put the jersey back into my suitcase and headed downstairs.
"Good morning Nicky!" my mom greeted me with a hug. I smiled; it's nice to be home.
"How are you this morning?" she asked.
"Well rested." I replied, actually feeling like I had slept for hours longer than I had.
"How's Sara?" she asked. I was a little shocked and worried, it crossed my mind that my mom knew what had transpired between us last night. But, looking at her expression, it seemed to me she was asking a perfectly innocent question.
"She's okay. She's taking a shower now." My mother nods in understanding.
"I just finished making some pancakes, I figured you kids would be hungry, and after that work schedule, you might not really be very good cooks." She says, and I raise my hands in surrender.
"You have a point. Sara and I usually go out to breakfast after shift." I say, and as soon as it leaves my lips I know my mom is going to take this the wrong way. She smiles and turns around, changing the subject before I can argue.
"Okay well, I am going to the hospital in fifteen or so minutes. I didn't know if you two wanted to stay here for a while, or leave right away, or what your schedule is, so you can do whatever. You're welcome to use the other car."
I smile. This fits perfectly into our plans. If there is one thing I love about my mother, it's how she knows something is going to happen. Even though she might not be exactly sure what it is, she always plans around it to make everything and everyone more comfortable.
Case and point: Sara and mine's trip to the horse barn.
"Okay, yeah, I'll talk to Sara about what she wants to do. We'll probably just have breakfast and hang here for and hour 'til we set off." I explain, beating around the bush. My mom just smiles as if there is no possible way that I can fool her, but she isn't going to let that show. I just shake my head with a grin, standing up.
"Hey Nicky, c'mon over here and set the table or something." She says, and I grab the syrup on my way over. I grab plates while my mom gets pancakes, and I set them on the table.
We talk about things in the news for five minutes, and I turn my attention to the newspaper.
"Well now, good mornin' Sara!" I hear, and I turn around to see Sara climbing slowly down the stairs. I place the paper on the table and stand up. Sara gives my mom a big hug, and comes over to me.
"Mornin' Sara." I say, and she walks willingly into my arms.
"Good morning." She says, squeezing me tight a minute before stepping back.
"Did you sleep okay?" my mom asks, and I perk up at this question.
Sara catches my eye and smiles broadly.
"Yeah. I slept really well."
My mom smiles.
"Well, I hope y'all are hungry, 'cause there's a stack a pancakes a mile high here, and someone has to eat'em."
"I'm sure Nick can take them on." Sara winks and my mouth drops in shock.
"Who is that talking? The human garbage disposal? Or was it little Miss. Piglet I hear?" I tease, and she smiles and punches me lightly.
"Nah, from personal experience, I was thinking it was Mr. Got-any-more…"
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- Sara's Point Of View -
Breakfast was excellent. I've never had real homemade blueberry pancakes. They're good. I bet Nick had them a lot when he was a kid.
"Nothin' like a good stack a pancakes huh Sar?" He asks, and his accent makes me chuckle. He shoves a forkful in his mouth, and looks at me strangely as I apply a large amount of syrup to my pancakes.
He swallows and points his fork at my food.
"Ya'll want a little pancake with that syrup?" he asks me, and I deadpanned.
"What?" he asks.
"Fine then I guess I should find out whose are better huh?" I laugh at him as I steal a bite of his pancakes.
"Hey! Give that-" he tries grabs my arm, trying to retrieve it, but I smile as I manage to pop the bite into my mouth.
"Nicholas!" Nick's mom yells, and Nick freezes on the spot.
"Leave that poor girl alone! I'm sure she'd like to eat her pancakes in PEACE without you disrupting her." She shakes a finger at him. He tries to bite back a smile as I grin at him and chew satisfactorily.
"Now, I am leaving to go see your sister in the hospital. She's at Lakewood Local, so come on by when y'all are done and ready. I'm sure the rest of the family will be there, so hurry on up." she adds, and we both nod.
"Goodbye Sara dear. I'm sure the whole family will love you, and if you tell them Nick is mistreating you, they'll love to hurt him." she winks at me, and I wonder what her definition of 'Nick mistreating me' really is.
'Cause it sounded like the 'dating' kind.
I blow it off and smile at her, and Nick does too.
"Bye ma. We'll see ya later." He gives her a short wave. She waves back, and the next thing we hear is the door shutting and the garage opening.
Now, I'll admit it. I expected a long, awkward silence to reign over Nick and I after Nick's mom left. What, between what had transpired the previous night between us, how Nick knew about me crying in the car, and the raw feeling that we were having after both having wounds open, new or old, I figured there was no way that damned silence was avoidable.
"So, are you gonna back out on our horse visit?" Nick asked, and I smiled. That wasn't such a bad way to start our conversation. I pushed a slice of pancake around on my plate, not intent on eating it.
"No. I'm not a chicken." I said, my voice edged in defensiveness as I continued to stare at my plate. All the sudden, a fork invades my view of the table, and Nick plucks the last piece of pancake off my plate and into his mouth. I look up at him and smirk, he beams back.
"Hey, you owe me." he says with that hundred-caret smile. I blush and look away again.
"Yeah, I guess I did." I nod, our eyes connecting. I smile softly at him, and he winks. My stomach flutters, and I stare once again at my plate.
"Okay, I'll clean up. You go put your shoes on. We're going to the barn." He says, and I nod, standing up as he lifts my plate.
"Thanks you." I say, in regards him cleaning.
"No problem." He says, not facing me as he cleans the dishes.
I smile, just smiling to myself, and walk to where my shoes are. I hope tennis shoes are okay, because that about all I've got, besides one pair of sandals. As I sit on a bench and tie my shoes, I listen to Nick whistling, and once again, a smile creeps onto my face. It is a little unbelievable that I am going down to see Nick's horses, on Nick's farm, in Texas. I'd say it's about as unbelievable as…oh…say….Nick kissing me.
Ha ha. Oh yeah.
That's already happened.
I grin to myself, not quite able to take the huge smile off my face at the thought of Nick and that kiss.
"Smilin' again! God Sara, what you got up your sleeve that's makin' you smile more than a laughin' baby?" Nick teases as he comes to sit next to me. I purse my lips and try to stop smiling, but to no prevail.
"Don't try and hide it, you look pretty when you smile." Nick complements. I blush slightly, and feel my heart flutter and my stomach do the same as I speak next.
"Yeah, well that makes two of us." I say, feeling courageous enough to compliment him back. He smiles and ties his shoes. I can't help but awe in the easy, carefree way Nick flirts, and how effortlessly he accepts being flirted with.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He's probably been flirted with his whole life.
I finish tying my shoes and stand up. I stretch, hearing my back crack easily. Nick finishes putting his shoes on as well, and stands up next to me. He motions with his head to the sliding door, near where we had eaten.
"Shall we?" he asks, and I laugh lightly.
"We shall." I say, walking in front of him out the door, and turning and waiting for him as he slides them shut. We walk down a gradual hill until we meet a huge barn door. Nick walks over to a handle and grips it.
"You ready?" he asks me, and I nod. He smiles, and pulls on the handle. The door slides open, and a loud sound of heavy feet pounding and the nicker of horses fill the air.